Countries with a high risk of rabies

Which countries are considered high-risk for rabies by the USA, Canada, the EU and other destinations, and how this affects the requirements for bringing in your pet.

Many countries group other states by their rabies risk level and set different pet import requirements accordingly. The classification is usually based on data from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH): a country is considered high-risk if rabies cases have been recorded there in the last 2 years or if it has no disease control programmes.

Some countries use the WOAH classification, while others keep their own lists. So before you travel, it's important to know which group your departure country belongs to according to the country you're flying to.

What changes if your departure country is on the list

Pets from countries with a high risk of rabies face stricter import requirements. Depending on the destination, these may include:

a rabies antibody (titre) test at an accredited laboratory;
a mandatory waiting period between the test and entry;
quarantine on arrival;
entry only through certain airports;
no direct entry: the pet must first live in an approved country for a set period.

For example, to enter the European Union from a high-risk country, an antibody test is required: blood is taken no earlier than 30 days after vaccination, and the pet can enter only 3 months after the blood sample.

Important for owners from Russia: Russia is on the high-risk lists of the USA, Canada, the European Union, the UK and Switzerland. The same lists include Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Moldova and Ukraine.

High-risk rabies countries according to the USA

Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Ceuta, Chad, China (except Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan), Colombia, Comoros, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini (Swaziland), Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Melilla, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania (including Zanzibar), Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

According to Canada

Canada's list is almost identical to the US list. The differences: it does not include Indonesia and Turkey, but it does include East Timor, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

According to the European Union, the UK and Switzerland

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Angola, Anguilla, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Borneo, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, Cook Islands, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Northern Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Easter Island, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Futuna, Galápagos Islands, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Côte d'Ivoire, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea (North and South), Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Macau, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Margarita Island, Mauritania, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sudan, Eswatini (Swaziland), Tajikistan, Tanzania (including Zanzibar), Thailand, Tibet, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Western Sahara, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Serbia uses almost the same list.

Other destinations

UAE: all countries that the UAE has not included in its list of rabies-controlled countries are considered high-risk.
Singapore: all countries not recognised as rabies-free or rabies-controlled.
Hong Kong: the same rule. In addition, the pet must have lived in an approved country for at least 6 months.
Australia and New Zealand: entry is only possible from rabies-free or rabies-controlled countries, after 6 months of living in such a country. A pet cannot be brought in directly from a high-risk country.

These lists are based on PetTravel.com data and may change. Before you travel, check the current status of the country with the veterinary service of your destination, or write to us and we'll check everything for your route.

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